A bag full of wishes
Agricultural distress; the concerns of fisherfolk over the threat to their livelihood; rising electricity charges, especially for small and medium units; lack of investments in southern districts; the delay in establishing AIIMS, Madurai; and withdrawal o
ith Tamil Nadu gearing up for the Lok Sabha election on April 19, voters across the State are grappling with several major unresolved issues. For them, elections are yet another opportunity to voice their concerns. Stakeholders have been urging contestants to resolve the issues in their regions. Here are some of the key issues that are driving the election this year.
WDelta distress
For farmers of the delta region, the uncertainty over getting Cauvery water from Karnataka for the kuruvai and samba crops remains the most important issue of livelihood. Karnataka’s recent moves to build a balancing reservoir across the river at Mekedatu have only heightened their anxiety.
“A reservoir at Mekedatu would render the delta a desert,” is a common refrain of leaders of the delta farmers.
“Rain flows from Kerala [running through the Kabini dam in Karnataka] account for nearly 60% of the water received at the Mettur Dam. By building the reservoir at Mekedatu, Karnataka wants to impound this water under the pretext of using it for drinking water supplies. With this in mind, the State is projecting the drinking water shortage in Bengaluru in a big way. If the reservoir is allowed to be built, the food security of Tamil Nadu will come under threat,” contends Cauvery Dhanapalan, president, Tamil Nadu Vivasaya Sangankalin Kootamaippu.
Poor profit margins are another major cause of disquiet among farmers. Farmers’ organisations contend that both the Central and State governments have failed them when it comes to ensuring a profitable Minimum Support Price for their produce.
“Despite repeated assurances, the recommendation of the M.S. Swaminathan Committee to provide a 50% profit over the average cost of production has not been implemented yet by the Centre,” says P. Ayyakannu, president, Desiya Thennindiya Nadhigal Inaippu Vivasayigal Sangam. The DMK, too, has failed to fulfil its election promise of hiking the procurement price of sugar cane to ₹4,000 a tonne and that of paddy to ₹2,500 a quintal, he points out. Strengthening the crop insurance scheme, increasing the dole given under the PM Kisan Yojana, and ensuring proper maintenance of irrigation and drainage channels are among the other expectations of the farmers in the delta.
In troubled waters
The Rameswaram fishermen associations have just one query: will the Katchatheevu islet be retrieved and included in Indian waters? Though the contestants in the Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha constituency have tabled a bucket list and given tall assurances, the questions asked by the fishermen are, “Will the arrest of fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy stop? Will fishers be allowed to fish in Katchatheevu?”
In the past 10 years of BJP rule at the Centre, dozens of fishermen were arrested and their trawlers impounded by the Sri Lankan Navy for poaching. Except for the killing of fisherman K. Britjo, 22, in March 2017, there have been no deaths in the Palk Strait.
Very recently, however, the Sri Lankan government has started imposing jail terms on fishermen who repeat the offence of poaching. While the DMK and its allies have been blaming the BJP government for its stepmotherly treatment of Tamil Nadu over this important issue, the BJP has countered that there has not been a single fisherman death, which was not the case during the 10year rule of the United Progressive Alliance, when hundreds had died.
Even as the war of words continues, there came the recent release of information obtained under the Right to Information Act by BJP State president K. Annamalai that “ceding” of Katchatheevu was done by the then Congress government at the Centre with former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi also being informed of the decision beforehand.
P. Jesu Raja, a fishermen leader, says for the time being, fisherfolk are praying that the blame game stops. The newly elected government should hold talks with Sri Lanka and bring about a consensus for fisherfolk to begin safe and secure fishing. The fishermen of Nagapattinam also want a longlasting solution. According to B. Sakthivel, a fisherman from Akkaraipettai, “Arrest of fishermen and seizure of their boats ruin their families. Both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan fisherfolk depend on the same region for their livelihood; sometimes, they cross the International Maritime Boundary Line. There needs to be a common forum involving fishermen from either side to resolve the issue.”
Rising power charges
Rising electricity charges, particularly the fixed charges, have emerged as a major election issue for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), particularly the fabrication and ancillary units of BHEL in the Tiruchi region. For MSMEs, which have already been facing multiple issues, the steep hike in power tariff, with effect from November 2022, came as a rude shock. Within eight months, Tangedco made yet another upward revision in the tariff from July 1, 2023.
While big factories may cope with the charges, the huge rise in fixed charges has left smaller industries, factories, and even the IT services sector shaken. They are required to pay ₹562 per month per kW for an electricity load beyond 50 kW. Before the upward revision in 2022, the fixed charges were just ₹35 per kW. Now, for an industrial unit, which has a 112 kW demand, the fixed charges come to ₹62,944 per month. The same unit paid just ₹3,920 as the fixed charges before November 2022. The disturbing aspect is that the industrial units are required to pay the fixed charges even if they are forced to stop production owing to an unfavourable industrial environment, industry bodies say.
The issue is not just confined to the MSMEs in the Tiruchi region. Those in Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and other regions have also been hit hard. Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and Pollachi, which have a large number of manufacturing and agrobased industries and exportdriven economies, are seeing one of the worst phases of demand slowdown that has led to the closure of factories and job losses in the past two to three years. Further, with the high power tariff, the industries claim that they are losing competitiveness. This has been pointed out by almost all the industrial associations that have submitted their demands to the election candidates. They have also called for a reduction in the GST rates, especially for engineering units.
Since November 2022, the industrial forums and organisations have been on a warpath to get the fixed charges rolled back. Several thousands of MSMEs closed their operations for a day recently. But their main demand for reducing the fixed charges has not been met. “Collection of unreasonable fixed charges is a killer. If Tangedco fails to withdraw the hike, many MSMEs will turn sick,” said N. Kanagasabapathy, chairman, Tiruchi Trade Centre.
Price fluctuation of perishable goods
Wholesale merchants at the Koyambedu market complex in Chennai noted that the price of staple vegetables, fruits, and foodgrains has increased steadily over the past few years. P. Sukumar, treasurer, Koyambedu Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers Merchants Association, said this year, the cost of many perishable goods is already on the rise by 10% to 20%.
The price fluctuation is heavily influenced by gaps in demand and supply in the wholesale markets across the State. This year, a shortage in supply is expected as production may be lower due to lack of water resources and rain deficits in neighbouring States as well. “We need cold storage facilities both in producing States and Tamil Nadu, to store surplus vegetables and fruits and supply during shortages. This will also help fetch better prices for farmers,” he said.
V.K. Ravichandran, climatesmart agriculture specialist at the Food and Agriculture Organisation, said food price inflation has also steadily increased in the past few years. Prices of oil seeds, pulses and rice have witnessed a tremendous escalation. For instance, the cost of rice increased by 1020% last year alone owing to high production costs, decline in water availability and lack of agricultural labourers. Farmers must be encouraged with input subsidy, said Mr. Ravichandran who stressed on mechanisation to reduce the cost of intercultural operations.
Uncertainty over AIIMS
No other project has been so intensely discussed in Tamil Nadu politics in recent years as AIIMS, Madurai. Announced in the 201516 Union Budget, it was said to be a bigticket project given by the Narendra Modi government to Tamil Nadu. However, the inordinate delay rendered it a nonstarter. A combination of issues, from identifying and acquisition of land and grant of environmental clearances to fund allocation by the Japan International Cooperation Agency ( JICA), were cited as the reasons for the delay by both the AIADMK government in the State and by the Central government.
After Thoppur in Madurai was finalised, the Prime Minister laid the foundation in January 2019, ahead of the Lok Sabha election that year. However, not much happened for two years, and it became a major issue in the 2021 Assembly election. Even now, DMK and AIADMK leaders accuse each other of delays in construction. Classes for the students admitted to AIIMS in 2022 continue at the Government Medical College at Ramanathapuram.
Investments in southern districts
The Nanguneri Multiproduct Special Economic Zone, which is yet to take off in a big way after Karunanidhi laid the foundation in 2001, remains neglected. Since the promoter could not attract companies, the SEZ situated on 2,600 acres now has just 13 small manufacturing units employing around 500 skilled and unskilled workers.
“It was started with the dream of employing over 50,000 people directly. However, the lack of interest in investing has left this project crumbling. This is agonising. The government should take sincere steps for reviving this project,” said industrialist Gunasingh Chelladurai of Bell Group of Companies.
Though the promoter identified by Tamil Nadu Industries Development Corporation (TIDCO) mortgaged the SEZ’s 2,600 acres of land to raise a loan of ₹865 crore, the State government is yet to take stringent action against the promoter to retrieve the land. Sources in the government claim steps are being taken to retrieve at least 900odd acres for the first phase of development.
“If it happens, the government, instead of allowing investments in and around Chennai, should concentrate on developing southern districts as it has attracted VinFast Auto, Vietnam’s electric carmaker, to Thoothukudi. Only then will Tamil Nadu enjoy inclusive development. We have sufficient land, water, quality power, excellent connectivity in the SEZ,” Mr. Chelladurai said.
Despite assurances, the recommendation of the M.S. Swaminathan Committee to provide a 50% profit over the average cost of production has not been implemented yet by the Centre
P. AYYAKANNU President,
Desiya Thennindiya Nadhigal Inaippu Vivasayigal Sangam
North Chennai’s struggles with pollution
In northern Chennai’s heavily industrialised EnnoreManali region, recent incidents of an oil spill from Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited and a gas leak from the ammonia pipelines of Coromandel International Limited, a fertilizer manufacturing unit, in December 2023 threw a spanner in the works of local residents. While the oil spill disrupted the livelihoods of the fishing community in Ennore, it also brought to the fore their repeated protests against the pollution of Ennore Creek due to effluents from thermal plants and the unapproved construction of transmission towers by Tangedco.
Residents of Periyakuppam, where the ammonia leak occurred, continue to protest against Coromandel International and demand its closure. Subhashini, a resident of Kattukuppam, said although Kalainidhi Veerasamy, the incumbent MP representing the North Chennai constituency, reassured them that he has written to the Centre about the closure of the fertiliser unit and made representations to the State government, they are still unsure if the issue has reached the Chief Minister. “We are disappointed,” she said.
Concerns over NEET
Since its inception, Tamil Nadu has been steadfast in opposing the National EligibilitycumEntrance Test (NEET). Both Dravidian parties have locked horns over the introduction of NEET for undergraduate medical courses. The then AIADMK government passed a Bill to provide 7.5% horizontal reservation in medical colleges to NEETqualified government school students. However, a section of academics continues to oppose it strongly. According to P.B. Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary, State Platform for Common School SystemTamil Nadu (SPCSSTN), “School education must lead to undergraduate studies without any eligibility or entrance test. This means both NEET and CUET [Common University Entrance Test] should be scrapped, along with NEP 2020.”
( With inputs from R. Sujatha, K. Lakshmi, Geetha Srimathi in Chennai; S. Ganesan, C. Jaisankar, M. Nacchinarkkiniyan in Tiruchi; M. Soundariya Preetha in Coimbatore; L. Srikrishna, S. Sundar in Madurai; P. Sudhakar in Tirunelveli.)